Dylan Grows Up
by spn1
Summary: Dylan finally gets a direction for his life. Chapter 2 now up.
1. Chapter 1

Dylan opened the door and quietly walked into the house. He was tired from his trip. It was exhausting but he was excited - they would be breaking ground on the new resort soon. He smiled as he thought about it - and his smile grew at what he saw when he entered the living room. He knelt down in front of the couch and kissed the woman sleeping there. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw him, "Hi."  
  
"Hi," he returned as he brushed the hair out of her eyes.  
  
"We were waiting up for you," she told him as she patted the back of the baby asleep on her chest.  
  
"I can see that," Dylan grinned. "Here, let me take him." He picked up the baby and she sat up, giving him room to sit down beside her.  
  
She put her chin on Dylan's shoulder as she watched her two favorite men together. "How did it go?"  
  
"We break ground next month," Dylan told her proudly.  
  
"Dylan, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"  
  
He looked into his wife's loving eyes and his heart swelled. She leaned over and kissed him and he put his hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss. "Let's go upstairs," he suggested. She didn't say anything as she rose from the couch. Dylan carefully placed his son on his shoulder and put his other arm around his wife as they walked up the staircase.  
  
Several hours later Dylan watched his wife sleeping beside him. He wasn't sure what he had done to have God bless him with this angel, but he was forever thankful to Him. From the moment Dylan first met Cassandra, he knew his life had changed.  
  
Although he and Kelly had admitted their undying love for each other at Donna and David's wedding, they were fighting within the month. Neither of them had a clear direction of what they wanted out of life and they were looking to each other for happiness. It never came. And the chemistry they shared wasn't enough to keep a relationship going. They broke up by the summer's end.  
  
A few months later, Dylan was bored and looking for something to do so Steve introduced him to Eric Michaels, who was looking for investors for a new hotel he was in the process of building. Dylan and Eric hit it off immediately and soon became partners in the new hotel venture.  
  
Knowing Dylan didn't have much family, Eric invited him to go home with him to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. Dylan didn't want to intrude on his family get-together, but Eric assured him that he came from a large family and guests were always welcome. Finally, Dylan agreed to go and that was the best decision he ever made.  
  
They arrived at Eric's parents' home amid a flurry of activity. His mother and two sisters-in-law were in the kitchen cooking; his older brothers were pulling Christmas decorations out of the attic, and his father and younger brother were trying to get a huge Christmas tree into a tree stand. But everyone stopped to hug Eric and welcome Dylan. "Is Cass here yet?" Eric asked the others once all the introductions had been made.  
  
"She got here just a little while ago," his mother told him as she went back to the kitchen. "She's out back with the kids."  
  
"Come on," Eric said as he led Dylan outside. "Only a few more Michaels to meet."  
  
Dylan followed Eric down a stone path to a small basketball court where five children (under the age of eight) were playing basketball with a beautiful young woman. The playing stopped when Eric whistled and called out to them. The woman beamed as she ran toward her brother and threw herself into his arms. Eric smiled too as he enveloped her into a bear hug. He put her down as the kids ran to him for hugs as well.  
  
The woman turned to Dylan and offered her hand, "Hi, I'm Cassie, Eric's sister." She smiled at him and Dylan's breath was taken away.  
  
Dylan got swept into the whirlwind of the Michaels' holiday weekend. On Thanksgiving day he helped them decorate the Christmas tree, gorged on the enormous dinner, watched football, and even participated in their annual touch football game. But through it all only one person had his attention - Cassie. He was fascinated by everything about her - her intellect, her sense of humor, her sweetness. And every time she smiled at him, his heart melted.  
  
He was a little disappointed when he got up the following morning and found out Cassie was working a shift at the hospital where she was a pediatric resident. But he didn't have time to wallow in his disappoint -- he learned of another Michaels' family tradition - the men took care of the kids while the women went shopping.  
  
Although he was worn out from the day's activities, he had a hard time getting to sleep that night and wandered down into the family room in search of a book to read. He was midway through it when Cassie arrived back from the hospital. She fixed them both scrambled eggs and the two talked into the wee hours of the morning.  
  
The family spent the next day together as well, putting up Christmas lights, arguing, eating - and Dylan loved it all. They were a considerate, loving group that welcomed him into their fold. And he was finding himself growing more and more attracted to Cassie.  
  
The attraction didn't go unnoticed by Mrs. Michaels. She had been hoping her daughter would meet a nice young man and Dylan seemed to fit the bill. That evening she suggested that Cassie take the dog for a walk-and that Dylan should go too so she could show him the neighborhood. Mrs. Michaels' intentions were evident the next day as well when Dylan found himself seated next to Cassie at the Sunday church service and again during lunch. Although Cassie was slightly embarrassed by her mother's lack of subtlety, Dylan could have kissed Mrs. Michaels there on the spot.  
  
That afternoon Mrs. Michaels insisted that Cassie be the one to drive Eric and Dylan to the airport and when they arrived there, Eric had strict instructions to make himself scarce. He took over the task of checking their luggage in, giving Dylan and Cassie a few minutes alone. "I'm sorry about my family's antics," Cassie started.  
  
Dylan smiled at her, "Don't be. They're great."  
  
"They mean well, I suppose."  
  
"Actually, I think they may be on to something," Dylan said as he moved the slightest bit toward her. "Do you ever get out to California to see your brother?"  
  
"I haven't yet," she told him. "He hasn't been there that long."  
  
"You really should come out there. You could check on him, see his work."  
  
Cassie smiled, "Maybe I will."  
  
"You'll have to do better than maybe."  
  
"My schedule at the hospital is just so crazy."  
  
"Don't make me call your mother," Dylan teased.  
  
Cassie laughed, "I have a three day weekend in a couple of weeks. Maybe I can come out then."  
  
Dylan left Atlanta feeling more hopeful than he had in a very long time. And his hope grew two weeks later when Cassie came out to California. Dylan and Eric picked her up from the airport and took her to dinner that night. The following day the three of them went to the hotel site where she oohed and aahed over their work. As they started to leave, Eric claimed to have just remembered other plans and asked Dylan to entertain Cassie for the rest of the day. Dylan took her to lunch and then on a tour of Beverly Hills. That night they had a lovely dinner and then went for a moonlit walk on the beach. Dylan placed his jacket around Cassie's shoulder when she shivered and took her hand in his as they walked back to his car. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Dylan pulled Cassie to him and kissed her. He deepened the kiss when he felt her respond and it quickly turned more passionate than he intended. Dylan broke the kiss and looked at Cassie, then kissed her again when he saw her smiling at him. They spent many precious moments kissing in the moonlight. The next morning Dylan attended church with Eric and Cassie -- something he had gotten in the habit of doing since his trip to Atlanta - and afterwards they all went to brunch. Then Eric once again made himself scarce leaving Dylan and Cassie alone to spend the rest of the day and evening together.  
  
Dylan and Cassie talked almost every day after she returned to Atlanta. He spent Christmas with the Michaels in Atlanta and was thrilled to be kissing Cassie at midnight on New Year's Eve. Their long distance romance continued until she and the rest of the family came out to LA in April for the opening of the hotel. By that time Dylan knew he was hopelessly in love with Cassie and he was overjoyed that she would be there with him when they opened the hotel. The Michaels were among the first guests to stay at the hotel and Dylan went to Cassie's room to pick her up for the opening gala. She took his breath away when she opened the door. "Wow," was the only thing he could utter. Cassie smiled before pulling him into the room and wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"It's your big night McKay. Are you excited?"  
  
"I'm excited alright," he said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "But it doesn't have anything to do with the opening." He took a deep breath, "I love you Cassie."  
  
She looked into his eyes, "I love you too." Dylan smiled as he kissed her. They were interrupted by Eric's knock on the door, telling them they were going to be late, and were soon caught up in all the festivities.  
  
Although Cassie remained at Dylan's side the entire night, it was well after 3 a.m. before they were alone again. They returned to Cassie's room and Dylan collapsed onto the couch, pulling Cassie to sit in his lap. "Everything was wonderful tonight," she told him as she loosened his tie. "You should be a happy man."  
  
He caressed her face, "Tell me again and I will be."  
  
"I love you," she said sweetly.  
  
Dylan kissed her deeply, "Marry me."  
  
"What?" Cassie asked, shocked.  
  
"I know it seems crazy," Dylan told her. "But I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Cassie was speechless. "We're great together Cass. I've never felt this way before with anyone - not Toni or Kelly or anyone. I love you Cassie. Be mine. Let me be yours."  
  
"Yes," she said softly with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Yes," she said again before Dylan kissed her.  
  
"I love you," he whispered into her hair.  
  
"I love you too," she replied. "And there is nothing I want more than to marry you." He kissed her again. "But Dylan, this is crazy. We live on opposite sides of the country."  
  
"The hotel is finished now. There's no reason Eric and I can't move our offices to Atlanta before we start work on the next one."  
  
"You've talked to my brother about this?" she asked.  
  
"We've discussed the possibility. He really wants to be closer to his family. And so do I," he finished with a grin.  
  
"We're really going to do this," she said almost as a question.  
  
"You just name the time and the place," he told her.  
  
Cassie thought about it a moment. "Let's elope."  
  
"You want to elope?"  
  
"Yeah. I watched two of my brothers go through big weddings and with my schedule, I just don't have time to plan it. And I don't want to anyway. I don't want anything big or fancy. I just want to marry you."  
  
Dylan smiled at her, "Whatever you want." He kissed her.  
  
"I like that attitude. Will you keep it up after we're married?"  
  
He cupped her face in his hand, "I don't think I'll ever be able to deny you anything." He kissed her again.  
  
"Let's get married now."  
  
It was Dylan's turn to be shocked, "What?"  
  
"Let's drive to Vegas and get married now."  
  
"What about your family?"  
  
"They can come if they want."  
  
"You're serious?"  
  
"Mmm hmm," she told him. "Are you having second thoughts?"  
  
"Me? No way," he assured her with a kiss.  
  
And they got married that day. They rounded her family up and chartered a plane to take them to Las Vegas. Two days later Dylan moved to Atlanta and never looked back. He and Eric began working on plans for another hotel - this time in Houston. Between's Dylan's travel to Texas and Cassie's hospital schedule, their time together was limited, but Dylan had never been happier. He loved his new career - finally finding something he enjoyed; he loved his new family - finally feeling like he was a part of one; but most of all, he loved being married - everything about it. He and Cassie bought a house and had a wonderful time fixing it up. Dylan never complained about the endless chores awaiting him when he returned home. And he felt such love and pride whenever he was called "Cassie's husband" or talked about his "wife."  
  
They were both a little surprised when Cassie became pregnant less than a year later. Both wanted children, it was just a little sooner than either had expected. But they were thrilled when their son was born six months ago.  
  
Life was perfect, Dylan thought as he watched his wife sleep now. He leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder. She instinctively moved closer to him, laying her head and hand on his chest and sighing contentedly. Dylan sighed too, a smile on his lips as he drifted off to sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Dylan was at his office going over plans for the new resort with Eric when his secretary told him David Silver was on the line. Dylan quickly picked up the phone, "David. Hi. How are you? It's been a while."  
  
"It has been a while," David said. "And I hate to be calling you with bad news."  
  
"What is it?" Dylan asked concerned. "Is it Donna?"  
  
"No, Donna's fine. It's Nat. He had another heart attack." David paused and took a breath, "Only, this time he didn't make it."  
  
"Oh no," Dylan sat down in his chair, shocked. "When?"  
  
"Last night. I thought you'd want to know."  
  
"Yeah, I'm glad you called. How are his wife and son?"  
  
"Um, pretty shaken up."  
  
"Is there anything I can do?"  
  
"I don't think there's much any of us can do."  
  
"When's the funeral?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Friday."  
  
"Okay, I'll be there. Thanks for calling David."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Dylan hung up the phone and sat there in silence.  
  
"Is everything okay, Dylan?" Eric asked concerned.  
  
"A friend of mine died last night."  
  
"I'm sorry. Were you two very close?"  
  
"Once. He was my first business partner."  
  
Eric looked at his brother-in-law sympathetically. "We can finish this up later. Why don't you call Cassie." He picked up the files and left Dylan's office. Dylan picked up the phone then set it back down, deciding he needed to see his wife instead. He drove over to the hospital and found her coming out of a patient's room.  
  
Cassie took one look at his face and immediately became concerned. "Baby, what's wrong?" she asked pulling him into the staff lounge.  
  
"Nat died last night. He had a heart attack."  
  
"Oh Dylan," she said embracing him. "I am so sorry."  
  
"The funeral's Friday. I want to go."  
  
"Of course. I'll go with you."  
  
"What about the baby?" he asked. He wanted her to go with him but he knew it was too soon to leave the baby.  
  
"We'll take him with us. And mom too, to baby-sit."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes," she assured him. "I'll make all the arrangements."  
  
He hugged her tightly. "How did I ever live without you?"  
  
The following day they flew into LAX, rented a car, and drove to the hotel. The hotel manager met them at the entrance, taking care of their luggage and giving them the keys to their personal suite. When they walked into the lobby, they were greeted by two familiar faces. "David! Donna!" Dylan said as he embraced his friends. "This is a surprise."  
  
"We couldn't wait to see you," Donna told him.  
  
Dylan put his arm around Cassie, "You remember Cassie."  
  
"Of course," Donna said as she hugged her.  
  
"It's good to see you both again," Cassie replied as David kissed her cheek. "I wish it were under better circumstances."  
  
Everyone agreed. Dylan introduced the other woman, "This is my mother-in- law, Clara Michaels." They all nodded in greeting. "And this handsome guy," he said taking the baby from Clara, "is my son, Jack."  
  
"Hi Jack," David said, shaking the baby's hand.  
  
"He's so adorable," Donna crooned. "The pictures you sent don't do him justice."  
  
"Why don't we all go upstairs where we can sit down and catch up?" Dylan suggested.  
  
"Are you sure," Donna asked, looking at Cassie. "You just got in."  
  
Cassie gave her a warm smile. "We'd love to have you come up with us. I know I met you last year and I've heard a lot about you, but I'd like to get to know you better."  
  
"We'd like that too," Donna said as she and Cassie led the group to the elevator.  
  
A little while later, as they were all seated in the suite, talking about everything that had happened over the last year, the baby started crying. Mrs. Michaels picked him up, "I think this little guy needs a nap."  
  
"I can put him down, Mom," Cassie started.  
  
"No. You sit here and talk with your friends," Mrs. Michaels insisted. "Grandma could use a nap too." She put the baby on her shoulder and kissed his forehead. "He feels a little warm."  
  
"He's cutting teeth," Cassie said, getting up from the couch. "Let me find the Tylenol."  
  
"It was nice meeting y'all," Mrs. Michaels told David and Donna.  
  
"You too," Donna replied. "I'm sure we'll see you again before you leave."  
  
Dylan watched Cassie follow her mother and the baby into one of the bedrooms. Then he noticed the look on Donna's face. "What?"  
  
"I just can't get over you."  
  
"What do you mean?" Dylan asked.  
  
"You.you've turned into such a grown-up. You have a wife and baby. And a job. You've become so.responsible."  
  
Dylan chuckled. "I guess it had to happen sometime."  
  
"And you're happy," Donna said.  
  
"I am," Dylan agreed.  
  
"That's great," David said. "It's good to see you this way D." The two friends shared a meaningful look, thinking back on all they'd been through. "We should probably get going," David finally spoke, not wanting the moment to get too emotional.  
  
They all stood up just as Cassie came out of the bedroom. "You're not leaving already are you?"  
  
"We have too," Donna told her regretfully. "We told Joanie we'd be by this afternoon."  
  
"Please tell her if there's anything I can do or anything she needs." Dylan began.  
  
"We will," David assured him, shaking his hand.  
  
The following morning Dylan and Cassie pulled up outside the church. Dylan turned off the engine, but didn't make any move to get out of the car. Cassie looked over at her husband and caressed the back of his neck. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I still can't believe it." Dylan shook his head. "I should have called him more, seen him more. I can't remember the last time I talked to him. We just traded the occasional e-mail. It wasn't."  
  
"He knew you were busy. He was busy too. The e-mails may not seem like much, but at least they let someone know you're thinking about him."  
  
Dylan took her hand and kissed her palm. "Thank you for coming here with me."  
  
"I'm your wife. This is where I'm supposed to be."  
  
Dylan leaned over and kissed her. "I love you wife."  
  
"I love you husband," Cassie replied before kissing him again. "Are you ready to go in?"  
  
Dylan took a deep breath and nodded his head. He got out of the car and went around to the passenger side to open Cassie's door. He held her hand tightly as they walked towards the church. They soon ran into Steve and Janet. Steve gave Dylan a hug and then kissed Cassie's cheek as Dylan did the same with Janet. "It's good to see you," Steve told Dylan.  
  
"I just wish it were under different circumstances," Dylan replied solemnly. He was surprised when another hand slapped him on the back.  
  
"Hey D," greeted a familiar voice.  
  
Dylan turned around and smiled, "Brandon." He gave his old friend a warm hug. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm okay," Brandon said nodding his head. "How about you?"  
  
"I'm good." Dylan said as he put his arm around Cassie. "I want you to meet my wife, Cassie. Cass, this is the infamous Brandon Walsh."  
  
Cassie gave Brandon a warm smile as she shook his hand, "It's nice to finally meet you."  
  
"You too," Brandon said sincerely.  
  
"When did you get in?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Just a little while ago."  
  
"We picked him up on our way here," Steve explained.  
  
"We should probably get inside," Janet reminded the group. "They're going to be starting soon." They all began making their way into the sanctuary.  
  
Inside the church, Kelly saw her old group of friends coming in. She immediately spotted Dylan and his wife. It was a little strange to see him - especially with another woman - but Kelly had no feelings of remorse or regret where Dylan was concerned.  
  
Kelly's eyes then moved to the person sitting on Dylan's other side - Brandon Walsh. His eyes locked with Kelly and he offered her a smile. She returned the smile before turning back around in her seat. Brandon was definitely the big "what if" of Kelly's life. What if she had married him? Either time? What would her life be like if they were still together? Her thoughts ceased as Nat's brother rose to begin the service. 


	3. Chapter 3

After the service, everyone was invited to a reception at the Peach Pit. "I want to thank you all for the love and support you've shown us this last week. And for the love you gave Nat for many years," Joanie began, overcoming her tears. "Nat would not want us to grieve over him, so I'm not going to let us be sad about his death. Instead, I want us to celebrate his life. He loved you people and he loved having this restaurant - a place where you all could gather and he could see you and talk to you. So I want you all to eat, drink, and be happy."  
  
Kelly walked over to where the others were sitting. "Hey you."  
  
Dylan got up, "Kelly," he greeted her with a hug. Kelly hugged him then turned to the woman seated next to him and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Kelly."  
  
"I'm Cassie," the other woman returned the handshake and warm smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."  
  
"You too," Kelly said sincerely.  
  
"Ms. Taylor is that you?"  
  
Kelly turned at the familiar voice. "Mr. Walsh." She smiled as she hugged him. "It's about time you came back here."  
  
Dylan started to sit back down in the booth, but Cassie stopped him. "Let me slide out before you sit down. I need to go to the ladies room."  
  
"You're going to go call your mom aren't you?" Dylan said, knowingly.  
  
"Now that you mention it," she replied with a sly smile, taking the cell phone out of his inside jacket pocket.  
  
"You checked on him on the way over here."  
  
"But he was crying. I just want to."  
  
Janet interrupted her. "You don't have to have a reason to check on your baby." She turned to Dylan, "Mothers can call as much as they want. In fact, I think I'll come with you and check on ours." She scooted out of the booth and Steve handed her the cell phone without question as the two women left the table.  
  
Brandon laughed as he sat in the chair next to Kelly. "Who would have ever thought that you two would be the first to have kids."  
  
"Sometimes, I can't believe it myself," Steve told him. "But I love it."  
  
"Me too," Dylan agreed.  
  
"Everything they say about it giving you a whole new perspective and completely changing your life?" Brandon inquires.  
  
"All true," Dylan tells him. "But it's great. You should try it sometime."  
  
"Donna and I are," David supplied. Everyone looked at them expectantly.  
  
"We're pregnant," Donna confirmed.  
  
The group all smiled and congratulated them with hugs and slaps on the back. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," Kelly said to Donna.  
  
"We just found out a few days ago. With everything else going on, we didn't think it was the right time to tell everyone."  
  
"I think they call it the 'circle of life,'" Brandon told them. "It's to be celebrated."  
  
"Well," Donna said smiling, "we are happy about it. We've been trying for a while now."  
  
"It's wonderful news," Kelly said beaming.  
  
"What's wonderful news?" Janet asked as she and Cassie returned to their seats.  
  
"I'm going to be an aunt!" Kelly told her proudly.  
  
Janet turned to Donna and David, "You're?!?!?" They both grinned and nodded. Janet screamed then hugged them both.  
  
"So Brandon, how's Brenda?" Donna asked, wanting to draw the attention away from herself.  
  
"She's great," Brandon told her. "She wanted to be here, but they've just opened a new show and she's also started teaching...it just wasn't possible for her to get everything taken care of in time."  
  
"No wonder I never get anything but short e-mails from her," Donna said.  
  
"She stays busy," Brandon agreed.  
  
"And she and Phillip are still happy?" Kelly asked.  
  
"Very much so," Brandon said. "I expect an engagement announcement any time now."  
  
"We met him last year," Dylan said taking a sip of his coffee. "We went through London on our honeymoon."  
  
"You met Brenda?" Kelly asked Cassie.  
  
"Mmm hmm," Cassie nodded. "We saw the play she was doing at the time and then had dinner with both of them. She's an amazing actress."  
  
"She always has been," David told her.  
  
"And to think that it all started here," Brandon said, indicating the Peach Pit.  
  
"What?" Cassie asked confused.  
  
"You see, I used to work here - that's my retired uniform right over there," he said indicating the framed shirt on the wall. "And one time she agreed to fill in for me. Only, she had to turn into this character, named Laverne to do it.." He continued telling her the story with the other chiming in and telling more stories of their own as they strolled down memory lane. 


End file.
